Patricia Heaton has set her followup to “The Middle,” and it involves a return to her old stomping grounds. CBS, where Heaton starred for years on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” has ordered the pilot “Carol’s Second Act,” a multi-camera comedy in which she stars.
Heaton will also serve as an executive producer on the project, alongside Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins — creators of the short-lived ABC comedy “Trophy Wife” — who will pen the script.
The series stars Heaton as Carol Chambers who, after raising her two children and retiring from teaching, embarks on a unique second act: she’s going to become a doctor.
The CBS Television Studios project is part of Heaton and David Hunt’s FourBoys Entertainment production deal with CBS TV Studios. The series is also from Kapital Entertainment. Additional executive producers include Adam Griffin, Rebecca Stay, Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor.
“Carol’s Second Act” was given a series commitment from the broadcast network last October. If it is picked up to series, the comedy would be Heaton’s first TV gig since ABC’s long-running comedy “The Middle” ended in May 2018. Prior to that series, Heaton starred on “Everybody Loves Raymond” for the show’s full 9-season run on CBS, from 1996-2005.